


Awkward

by IJM



Category: General Hospital
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23340265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IJM/pseuds/IJM
Summary: Another awkward "father/son" chat post CaTrina Kiss.
Relationships: Cameron Webber/Trina Robinson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	Awkward

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reronettie (Killianemma915)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killianemma915/gifts).



> Not for profit. No claim of ownership of characters.
> 
> So, my friend is sick and the show sucks right now. We're all in this funk of disappointment because the writers seem to be completely out of touch with the pulse of the audience. We're missing family relationships and humor and levity. We haven't had anything significant from our favorites in months. The entire world is a mess. People are sick and dying. The economy is going to collapse. And our favorite distraction from reality is just making us more depressed. In light of all that and my own dumpster fire of a life, I just wanted to write something light to give my friend something that I hope will make her smile because the show isn't doing that lately. Maybe some other readers will smile too. I hope so.

Franco Baldwin opened the door to his art therapy room to find his stepson Cameron Webber. “What’s up?” he asked, motioning for Cam to come inside and have a seat at the table. He closed the door so they would have privacy.

Franco pushed aside some of his young clients’ creations that were still soaked with wet paint. He could tell that Cam was nervous. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh…” Cam hesitated. He kept both hands in the pockets of his coat. “Do you remember that talk we had a while back?”

Franco was perplexed, thinking back. “Which one?”

“You know… the one about _sex_.” He whispered the last word.

“Oh,” Franco nodded. “Yeah. I thought it went well.”

Cam shook his head, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “I think I messed up.”

Franco ran his hand over his face, wondering what kind of trouble Cam could have gotten into. He had a knack for finding it. “How?” he asked, leaving the question very open.

“I kissed Trina.” Cam sighed.

“She didn’t want you to?” Franco asked.

“I’m not sure,” he answered. “She kissed me back, but then we both kind of were like _what the heck_ and backed off. I think I ruined our friendship.”

“Was she angry or upset?”

“Rattled,” Cam answered. “I think she was surprised. _But so was I._ I didn’t plan to kiss her. It just happened.”

Franco nodded. “Kisses do that—just happen sometimes,” he offered, trying to make Cam feel better. “What happened after the kiss?”

“Well, Joss walked up and we acted like nothing happened. Then we couldn’t concentrate or talk about it because Joss was there.”

“How was Trina the last time you saw her?”

“She’s upset about her dad, of course. And maybe I took advantage of that. I don’t know. I didn’t mean to. We were just talking about how intense everything was and….” He left the sentence hanging.

Franco made a smooching sound.

“Stop it,” Cam scolded him. “I’m serious. I may have ruined our friendship.”

“Maybe the direction of your friendship was meant to change,” Franco offered. “You might be reacting to the traumatic situation you were in together. Something like that tends to bond people and can confuse you or change your feelings and make you see someone with a different perspective.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Cam agreed. His perspective of Franco had changed after Shiloh kidnapped him and Franco did everything that he could to keep him safe.

“But,” Franco reminded him, “You sort of lit up when Trina walked into the house the night of the dance. Maybe it _wasn’t_ just the traumatic situation affecting your feelings.”

“I’ve never thought of Trina like that,” Cam replied.

“Until you did.”

“Yeah.” He sighed. “Now she’s avoiding me. Not texting me back or anything.”

“What did you say in your texts to her?”

“I just asked if she was okay.”

“She’s upset about her dad,” Franco assured him. “I was working with Ava recently and she told me Trina had skipped school to come work at the gallery.”

“I probably made it worse,” Cam looked away. “Why do I do stupid things?”

“Because you’re sixteen,” Franco answered. “What’s my excuse?”

Cam chuckled, visibly more at ease than when he came into the therapy room. “Can I tell you something?”

Franco nodded. “Of course, you can.”

“And you won’t tell mom?”

He hesitated. “If you’re in trouble…”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Cam waved off the suggestion. “I just need some embarrassing advice.” He saw Franco nod and continued. “I don’t think the kiss was very good. I don’t think I did it right.”

Franco did his best to keep his face neutral. “You’re sixteen,” he reiterated. “It’s supposed to be awkward. You haven’t figured it out yet. But you will.”

Cam tapped one foot on the floor. “Can you _tell me_ what I’m supposed to do?”

Franco was temporarily flummoxed. He had never expected to have these kinds of conversations. He had never had conversations like this when he was a teenager.

“There’s not an instruction manual.” Franco drummed his fingers on the tabletop, thinking. “I think the best thing is to… pay attention to Trina and respond accordingly.”

“Pay attention to what?” Cam asked. “And what’s _accordingly_? According to what?”

Franco found himself as uncomfortable as Cameron probably was the first time that they broached this subject. He gave himself a minute to think about it. “Okay, so you can tell. I mean, if Trina, or some other girl is into it, you’ll know.”

Cam sighed. This was not helping much. “What if I don’t know?” he asked. “There’s always something on the news about some famous person being accused of doing something without consent and the accused person says he thought he had consent.”

“That’s true,” Franco sighed. “It’s never a bad idea to ask, _May I kiss you?_ A lady will either be happy that you want to kiss her or laugh at you or maybe throw her drink in your face.” His voice trailed off momentarily. “But you’ll know for sure,” he shrugged.

“I think I would die if she laughed at me,” Cam groaned. “But what if she says yes? What then?”

“Hygiene,” Franco suggested. Make sure your breath doesn’t stink. And that you don’t stink,” he laughed.

“I’m glad you find this funny.”

“I’m not laughing at you,” Franco assured him. “I’m trying to help. You _do_ agree hygiene is important, right?”

“Yeah,” Cam reluctantly admitted.

“Privacy,” Franco added. “First of all, make sure you’re not going to have an audience. Second, don’t talk about it with your buddies. You have to respect Trina—or whoever’s reputation. I assume reputations are still made or broken in high school.”

“Well, probably not the same way as when you were my age. Now it’s really no big deal if anyone is hooking up.”

Franco cringed. “I hate that expression. It’s dehumanizing.” He shook his head.

“I never really thought about it,” Cam admitted.

“I thought this was just about kissing,” Franco reminded him. “So, we have hygiene and privacy. What else do you think is important?”

“I don’t know,” Cam answered.

“You must have some preconceptions.”

“Eh… I don’t know,” he repeated.

“Well, pay attention to your partner. And, what the hell—just ask if her. You’re both experiencing new things. Figure it out together. Don’t pressure yourself. Contrary to those dreadful Hallmark movies, first kisses do not spark the release of rainbows, unicorns, and glitter. You’ll never enjoy it if you’re stressed out. It’s a weird thing to do… _until it’s not_. You’ll figure it out if you relax and are attentive to your girl. Then, eventually you’ll probably break up and find someone new and start all over, but you won’t be as nervous.”

“You seem pretty confident that I can do this right.”

“Just be yourself, Cam. You’re a good kid. You’re not going to intentionally hurt anyone. You’re not going to make anyone do something they don’t want to do.”

“What if Trina didn’t want to kiss me?”

“Apologize and fix your friendship. She’s a smart girl and she’s a loyal friend. One errant kiss in the aftermath of an intense situation will not end your friendship unless you _let_ it. I think Trina’s friendship is worth keeping, don’t you?”

“Definitely,” Cam answered. “I’ll make it right, whatever it takes.”

“I know you will,” Franco told him. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

**Author's Note:**

> That's it. The end. Just a scene. No major angst. A kid and the only dad he's got trying to figure out life....


End file.
